I'm a pop culture geek, married to a non-geek, "normie" guy. I also like cooking and crafts. My own crochet patterns posted here. Please be respectful of my work and keep in mind that most of those crochet patterns have only been made once or twice. If you find a mistake, let me know. If you make something, please send me a link back.
If this blog still isn't enough of me for you, check Geek Crafts for even more of me on Saturdays under AmyLynn98, or find me on Twitter at @JediAmyLynn98.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

We've had our Honda Fit Sport since the end of January. Because of the amount of driving I'm doing for work, I've got a little more than 2,300 miles on it already. Now, that's not all work miles, of course, but it does also include a trip up to Lynchburg and back.

According to cars.com, 12 out of 13 people would recommend this car to a friend, and I would too.

Comfort:

4.5 out of 5

Performance:

4.5 out of 5

Exterior Styling:

4.1 out of 5

Interior Design:

4.8 out of 5

Value for the Money:

4.7 out of 5

Reliability:

4.9 out of 5

Part of the reason I like hatchbacks is because of how deceptively roomy they are. This is the second 5 door vehicle I've had. Right off the bat, I want to point out that we purposely bought a
hatchback. I had a Plymouth Horizon in college, and there began my love
affair with the hatchback. The 2013 Honda Fit's backseat was also a huge selling point for us, as we took our dog into consideration as we looked at new cars.

The Fit's backseat is completely flat when the back seats are folded down, making enough room for a German Shepherd to stand or sit comfortably back there, and doesn't allow for any holes where he could accidentally step in and twist a little ankle while the car is being driven. The folded down back seats fit tightly within the interior of the car.

I personally don't know a lot about engines, but my husband described the Fit's engine to me like this: his HD Road King has a bigger engine that the Fit has. The reason he shot down the Nissan Versa is because how weak he though the engine was and how it had no power behind it. "Honda Fit's 1.5-liter engine is smooth and powerful, impressive for an engine
that small. It's rated at 117 horsepower at a high-revving 6600 rpm,
with 106 foot-pounds of torque at 4800 rpm. Yet there's always
sufficient torque, that force that propels you from intersections and up
hills." While Shane disagrees with me here, I am still a little surprised at how quickly this thing can take off. It's got enough get up and go to make me happy, although Shane feels like some hilly areas (Lynchburg, out in the country) slows the Fit down as it goes up a hill. He feels like the cruise control doesn't have enough power behind it to use there, so it's just better to give it gas and force it to go. (I used to feel the same way on Highway 20 east from Dubuque, IA and Galena, IL...my Horizon had a hard time with some areas out there).

"Mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with paddle
shifters, it's an exceptional powertrain. The Honda automatic has a
Sport mode that holds the transmission in gears longer when you're in
Drive, and not using the paddles for manual shifting. This Sport mode is
meant for sports car-like driving, which the Fit likes." I probably won't ever use the paddle shifters. I know those seem to be increasingly popular with European made cars (or at least those highlighted on Top Gear on BBC) but I don't know how to drive a manual transmission. I don't want to damage the car, so I'll stick with automatic. However, Shane is fairly happy with how it handles as a manual transmission-style of car.

This car's mileage is much better (I'm
averaging 30-34 MPG) than the Blazer's mileage was (17 in town/22 on the
interstate, averaging me 21 MPG consistently throughout it's life with
us).

"Underway, the Honda Fit
feels like a bigger car, partly because the dashboard is long, to
accommodate the raked windshield, and partly because there's so much
legroom in the front, again thanks to that rake." I'm 5'4" tall and my husband is 6'. Neither one of us are uncomfortable in the front seat. In fact, most times, no matter what shoes I'm wearing, I have the seat pushed all the way back and I'm good on the reach to the pedals.

"The
black cloth seats are wonderful, upholstered in a smooth comfortable
material that's pleasing to the touch, and the bolstering is just right,
with excellent cornering support. In fact, the seats would work in a
sports car." I kind of have to disagree with this. While the cloth seats are nice (leather was not an option, but I didn't want leather anyway and Shane did), the weave of the cloth is a little obnoxious. Pet hair doesn't just lay on top of it. It gets woven into the cloth and a vacuum cleaner, even a new one, has a difficult time getting it all cleaned up. Usually, when I'm done with the vacuum, I have to go get a lint brush to roll over all the cloth to pick up what the vacuum couldn't get. I'm thinking about buying seat covers for the front.

"Lots of cubbies and cupholders make everyday driving
convenient." In just the front seat alone, 2 people have access to 4 cupholders. While the bottom 2 holders in the console below the radio are a bit of a tight fit, the top 2 are perfect fits for more size drinks, as well as within a comfortable reach. Plus, those two console holders have their own dedicated vents behind to keep your drink either cool or warm, depending on how your have the interior temperature of the car set.

"Rear legroom is roomier than that of the Toyota Yaris,
Mazda2, and Ford Fiesta." I haven't ridden in the back seat yet.

Small features that I really enjoy about the Fit:
1. There is a handle on the inside of the hatch that is conveniently located to make it easier to pull it down and shut. You don't have to reach and stretch for the hatch when it's open.
2. There's plenty of clearance below the hatch when it's completely open, so you don't have to worry about banging your head on it.
3. It's got a good navigation system built into it. It sounds clear and is easy to understand, and it's pretty much modifiable for the user's preferences.

Things I don't enjoy about the Fit:
1. The front passenger seat does not come standard with an armrest. It's not even anoption to get. While a center console can be purchased, I don't know if it's wide enough to fill the space as well as two armrests would.
2. From what I've heard from other people, the phone reception through the dash really sucks. Apparently, it cuts in and out quite a bit. My phone isn't doing that, because in the same locations, my phone is pretty clear.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Foofa v2.0 has been finished and she is on her way to my niece. This time, I included a note that said if she needs to be washed again, wash her in a knotted pillow case to protect her.

She is made out of a remnant of pink polar fleece from Hanock's. I really wanted to make her out of something softer so that she would be kind of squishy again, like the original toy. I found a great long sleeved pink t-shirt at the thrift store that I intended to use, but it was fine enough that it was being pushed into my sewing machine by the needle. The fabric couldn't advance.

That's when I got the fleece. She's an even 24" long. I wish I had made her arms and legs thicker. To me, these look a little twiggy.

However, I am happy with the fact that I didn't just sew a front and back together. After cutting out those pieces, I cut out two more strips and used those to make the sides and give her some thickness. The original Foofa was just a front and back.

I used slightly more than one throw pillow for the stuffing. I feel like I overstuffed the body, but I kept going back and looking at the picture of the original toy I made.

Like before, the face is painted on. Her collar is a length of red ribbon with a running stitch on one edge that I pulled tight to get a ruffled appearance. The ends are sewed together on the back.

The flower on top of her head is two pieces of felt, sewn together and then sewn to the doll itself.

I don't believe for a second that my niece will accept this toy right away as her original Foofa. Even my sister knows her daughter won't fall for it. I suggested that when Foofa arrives that she tells her daughter that Foofa grew when she was "in the hospital."

Sunday, February 24, 2013

I was just approved by Redd over at Geek Crafts to become their Saturday morning poster. :) I'm really kind of looking forward to that. My first post (about a plush Weeping Angel by Lanikins from Craftster) appeared actually today, because I was waiting for my Wordpress username and login.

So when you have the time, check me out over at Geek Crafts and leave a comment on my posts. Just like with here, I'm posting as AmyLynn98.

Good Geek Quotes To Live By

“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.”

--Simon Pegg

"Being a fangirl or a nerd means that you’re not afraid to love things. That’s what it really gets down to: a conscious decision to not let societal stigma tell you how appropriate your feelings are or are not."--Sara @ Fantastic Fangirls

"Wil Wheaton Says: Don't be a dick"--Wil Wheaton

"All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."